Lady Gaga Protests Arizona Immigration Law

While others are boycotting the Grand Canyon State, the pop star honors her Phoenix gig, calls for peaceful protest.

While “big rock and rollers, big pop stars, [and] big rappers” urged her to boycott Arizona in protest of the state’s controversial immigration law, SB1070, Lady Gaga brought her Monster Ball tour to the state’s capital anyway on Saturday night, opting to address the issue from the stage.

“The nature of the Monster Ball is to actively protest prejudice and injustice and that bullshit that is put on our society,” Gaga said. “I will not cancel my show, I will yell and I will scream louder, I will hold you, and we will hold each other, and we will peaceably protest this state.”

The performer also praised the country’s immigrant population — “Without all of you immigrants this country wouldn’t have shit” — before shouting out to her “deepest and most loyal friends … all [the] Arizona LGBTQ.” Later, Gaga unleashed another uplifting mantra: “You are a superstar no matter who you are or where you come from, and you were born that way.”

While Gaga opted to honor her Arizona tour date, the debate continues to rage within the music community about boycotting the state’s venues. Rage Against the Machine singer Zack de la Rocha’s non-profit, Sound Strike, has united artists like Nine Inch Nails, Sonic Youth, and Kanye West in a pledge against playing in Arizona until SB 1070 is taken off the books, and organized a fund-raising Rage gig in L.A. to raise funds to support protest efforts within the state.

Watch Lady Gaga’s full speech about Arizona’s SB 1070 below, and tell us what you think in the comments section!

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